So, should I (or, more likely, the shop I take it to) still use the
pure Mg rod, as the manual suggests?

Joe

On Sun, 02 Jun 2013 16:51:27 -0500, "Lloyd E. Sponenburgh"
lloydspinsidemindspring.com wrote:

BQ340 fired this volley in news:51abad25$0$17285
:


The Lawnboy manual says to use a Heliarc welder in AC mode & pure
magnesium rod.


Besides that, it ain't magnesium. It's "Elektron Alloy", or more simply,
a mixture of magnesium and aluminum (typically in a 35-65 to 50-50 ratio)
called "magnalium".

The same stuff was used for Porshe and VW (and Karmann) gear cases for a
time. When I was a volunteer fireman, I witnessed a co-worker from the
radio station where I was working burned alive in a Karmann Ghia that had
such a gear case.

In _any_ case, magnalium is highly combustible in air. We use it in the
pyro trade as a fuel for raising the combustion temperature of 'bright'
color compositions. Use an inert gas to shield it, and enough so it
cools below yellow heat before the gas shield leaves the zone.

Lloyd